Captain Juan Cabrillo and and the crew of his intelligence-gathering ship-for-hire encounter an adrift cruise ship filled with hundreds of dead passengers that eventually leads to a discovery of a cult's devastating plot for the human race.

A glamorous cruise on a luxurious ocean liner turns deadly-- Fleeing the humiliating arrest of her husband-to-be on the eve of their wedding, Celia Kilbride, a gems and jewelry expert, hopes to escape from public attention by lecturing on a brand-new cruise ship, the Queen Charlotte. She meets Lady Emily Haywood, the owner of a priceless-- and cursed-- emerald necklace that she intends to leave to the Smithsonian after the cruise. Three days out to...